Live Be Yoga: 4 Ways to Modify Common Poses for Hand and Wrist Injuries

Over the summer, I fell while I was riding my bike, broke three fingers, and sprained the ligaments in my hand. While this has been a major bummer, it’s also been such a huge teacher for me. I’ve learned a lot about patience and how to be kind to myself. I noticed that even with my Darth Vader hand, I’ve been able to modify yoga poses and be extremely mindful so as to avoid compounding my injury.

Since I’ve received so many questions from other people with injuries about how I managed to get through an entire yoga class, I want to share how I've modified a few of the poses I do daily. As always, it's wise to check with your doctor prior to any physical activity, especially if you’ve been injured.

Instead of Bound Bridge Pose, Try Bridge Pose with Robot Arms

Bridge Pose helps us become more alert in both body and mind, open the chest, and keep the spine flexible. While beginners can practice it safely, skilled practitioners can still experience its many benefits. Bridge Pose will also help prepare you for more intense backbends. Instead of binding my arms under my body in this pose, I protect my injuries with the robot arm variation.

Get Into It: Lie down on your mat with your knees bent. Press down evenly through the four corners of your feet and lift your pelvis up. If you find it difficult to hold the lift in your pelvis, slide a block beneath your sacrum and rest the pelvis on it for support. If you are looking to deepen the stretch, lift your heels off the floor once in the pose, and lengthen your tailbone toward the backs of your heels. Instead of binding your arms behind you, bend your arms at the elbow and hold your arms straight up (robot arms). Press the backs of the arms from the top of the shoulder down the midline to the elbow center. Take 3–5 breaths, then release down.